Chicago revs up this weekend with the annual Chicago Auto Show taking over McCormick Place and, for aficionados of the electric vehicle wave, it's gonna be a high-voltage affair, minus one American auto giant. Stellantis, grappling with the financial aftermath of a United Auto Workers strike, is bowing out, taking Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, and Ram along with the ciao. The cutting-edge Tesla Cybertruck is finally rolling into the spotlight and Ford's gonna pull the wraps off a digitally fresh 2025 Explorer, reported The Chicago Tribune.
But it ain't all smooth driving on the EV highway—reports of potential labor rumbles are in the rearview, and consumers are still wrestling with range anxiety and charging station hide and seek, it's a dance that's seeing a slowdown in the EV market share's acceleration, the same source states. Still, the market marches onward with the likes of Tesla, Lucid, and Ford flaunting their latest battery-powered behemoths while Rivian, another EV trailblazer, is playing it cool staying absent from this year's lineup the presence of Rivian remains undetectable at the event this year.
Pre-show buzz is all about Friday's First Look for Charity bash, where the Auto Show's top brass like chairman JC Phelan are gunning for over $2 million in fundraising, and local music and eats are on tap. According to a reveal by WLS Chicago, the GMC Hummer Earthcruiser is promising a domestic touch of adventure, ensuring you, a companion, and your furball can hit the road with a full suite of amenities squished into a sustainable package.
EV enthusiasts can look forward to hitting the test track with a slew of manufacturers like BMW, Cadillac, and Tesla readying their latest green machines for a spin, with a special nod to the Ford Bronco tackling a hefty 38-degree angle on Bronco Mountain to flex its off-road muscle, the last publication informs. The event, spanning Feb. 10-19, is also a prime location for car shoppers to do more than just kick tires, noting the difficulty of finding a new ride under $30k amidst the sea of high-tech splendor despite Rebecca Lindland of Cars Commerce, formerly known as Cars.com, pointing out the importance of hands-on experience at such a venue.
The show is bound to reflect the market's electric jolt—though whether it turns into a full-blown lightning storm or just intermittent sparks, only time will spill the beans; Pablo Di Si of VW America, in a statement obtained by The Chicago Tribune, reminds us. And, with workers taking steps toward unionizing in some quarters, it's clear that the assembly line may just be the starting line for the next big industry shift.
